Zarkon's Greatest Soldier
by NyteXade
Summary: Yorak is new to the Galra army but quickly climbing the ranks. He is personally trained by Haggar in the ways of Druid magic and after several months of training, he is finally chosen to lead an attack on Voltron. Shiro and the other paladins are devastated after the disappearance of Keith. They continue to search for him everywhere and on every planet they save.
1. Yorak

**Finally! The long awaited sequel! I know it's been a while, sorry! But I finally got the first chapter finished and posted! This story is part three in a series so please read the others before this one, otherwise it may be a bit confusing. :) So without further ado…**

* * *

 **Chapter 1: Yorak**

* * *

The cheers of the crowd roared around them as they all exited their lions. They were all cheers of celebration and newfound freedom. The paladins of Voltron met with the leader of the planet just briefly before joining in on the festivities of the celebrating citizens. Lance, however, didn't bother celebrating. He spent his time, moving from person to person, holding out a picture on a small device.

"Was he part of the attack?"

"Did you see him amongst the Galra?"

"Was this Galra here?"

Lance didn't push them for an answer. He wasn't frantic when asking. He gave them their space and took what answers he could get. Voltron _just_ stopped an attack on this planet as well as expunged any remaining Galran outposts and colonies. They liberated the planet and the people wanted to celebrate. Lance understood, but…

There was a small hand on his shoulder. He turned to find Pidge standing next to him.

"Don't worry." She had a soft smile on her face. "We will find him."

Lance couldn't help but smile back.

"I can help. Like I usually do." She drew a pointed look towards the downed battle cruisers they had taken down earlier during the fight. "I'll run a diagnostic on those ships, see what data I can pull from them. I can analyze the data back at the Castleship." She looked back at the other paladins and Alteans. "Shiro already agreed to help. He'll use his arm to activate the Galran computers. Hunk is also asking around with a picture." She gave the (now) red paladin a comforting look. A look that said, _You aren't the only one looking. You've got help._

Lance let out a sigh. "Thanks, Pidge. It's just…" He looked down at his hands, seven fingers held out. "Seven months is a long time to be in Galra custody. I'm worried."

Pidge looked down too. "I know. We all are."

Lance let out a huff that could have been mistaken for a scoff. He looked up. "Not all of us."

Pidge followed his gaze. _Allura…_

 ***7 Months Ago***

"Allura! What the hell are you doing?!" Lance was yelling as the paladins were rushing behind Allura back to the main control room.

Haggar has just blown a hole in the ship where Keith was and said paladin is now missing.

As soon as they figured out what happened and noticed him gone, Allura immediately rushed off. "That should be obvious. I'm getting the Castle out of here!"

"No!" Pidge's voice came almost hysterical. "We have to get Keith back first!"

"We don't have time for that!" Allura was almost calm but authoritative. She was no longer acting as a friend in this moment, but as a princess. A commander. "The Castle of Lions is damaged and Haggar and her ship are still out there. We cannot afford to stay here!" She reached the castle controls, followed shortly after by everyone else. "I'm opening a wormhole!"

"Allura! Wait!" Shiro tried.

"Coran, I need you at the controls." If she had heard Shiro, she ignored him. "Prepare for wormhole jump."

"Princess…" The advisor sounded as though he wanted to protest.

"Coran." Allura's tone left no room for protest and Coran started up the controls. He began preparations for the wormhole.

"Allura, we can't just leave him behind. Keith is our teammate and a paladin." Hunk tried to reason.

Allura responded without looking at him. "You saw that holding cell, the security footage. There was no struggle. Kei- _That Galra_ went with her willingly. He is not one of us anymore." With that, she opened the wormhole and sped through.

 ***Present***

 _'_ _That Galra'_

Lance couldn't get those words out of his head. Since then, he doesn't say much to the princess unless it is business. He still took orders from her, during missions, if only for the sake of the team. Usually acknowledging her orders with a short, sharp nod before proceeding to his _Keith's_ lion. It still leaves a bad taste in his mouth every time he sees her in Blue. In _his_ lion.

"Lance?"

At the sound of his name, Lance was harshly snapped from his angry thoughts. It was then that he realized he was balling his fists so tightly that he drew blood. He released his hands and his shoulders dropped. "Sorry."

Pidge wrapped her arms around him in a tight embrace. "We'll find him." She repeated.

Lance returned the hug before they both headed off towards the others.

* * *

Not too long later, the paladins, save for Allura, were in the Green Lion's hangar, Pidge's favorite place to work. Her fingers were flying at lightning speed across her keyboards. Of the five crashed Galra ships, she was able to get useable data pulled form three of them.

It took about twenty minutes. All three sets of data had been decoded, analyzed, overlapped and compared to fill any gaps in data in any one ship. Pidge finally stopped and sat back in her chair, eyes scanning through all the information she had pulled up.

"What have you found?" Hunk finally broke the silence.

"Anything important?" Shiro added.

"Anything on Keith?" Lance put in hastily.

Pidge pointed to each of them in turn. "A lot. Definitely. Not… entirely sure." She continued scanning the information on the screen. "Apparently there is a planned attack on a planet that has been recently liberated by the rebels. It's some kind of 'training mission' for a new Druid that has been quickly climbing ranks." She narrowed her eyes a bit, focusing on something. "Commander Yorak?" The others shrugged at her questioning tone. She continued. "This 'Yorak' is apparently an up and coming new Druid. He isn't ranked among the Druids themselves but is still listed as a commander. Other than that, there isn't much information."

"When and where is this attack supposed to happen?" Shiro was the first to act, as usual.

Pidge checked the screen again. "In roughly a quintant on planet Reiphod."

Hunk held up one finger. "That's not too far from here. We can definitely make that in time to defend the planet."

Shiro nodded his agreement is. "Whoever this Yorak is, he is new and most likely young. It's better to take him out early in the game. However, if he has reached the rank of commander so quickly then he is also most likely strong and smart. We also don't know the extent of his Druid capabilities so we mustn't underestimate him."

"So basically what you're saying is we need a plan, and a damn good one at that." Lance's shoulders slumped and he let out a sigh. Then he noticed Pidge. She looked deep in thought, staring at her screen. "What's up Pidge? Something wrong?"

Pidge hummed. "It's just… the information about the attack, when and where it's happening and why, was a little too easy to get. The information on this new Commander is labeled as unrestricted, public knowledge for the Galra, so it makes sense that it was easy to access. The attack information, however… that is all labeled 'high clearance'. For me to be able to access it so easily…"

"It's probably a trap." Shiro concluded in an obvious sort of tone. The others nodded. "Alright. We'll need Allura. I've got a plan."

* * *

The paladins and Alteans were all in the main control room, gathered and listening intently to Shiro's plan.

"Pidge, you will go in first, stealth mode. Do some reconnaissance and report back. Try and figure out how many ships are there waiting for us."

Pidge nodded. "I've only got about one and a half vargas before my cloaking shield gives out."

Shiro nodded in acknowledgement. "Allura, you will be Pidge's backup. If she can't get out before her cloaking shield ends, get in there and get her out quickly so we can regroup. Lance, you are the fastest one, so I want you to go in and check on the rebel bases. If any are still functioning, let them know our situation and recruit any that are able to help. I will stay behind and take out any ships that may be trying to leave the planet." He looked to Hunk and Coran last. "Hunk, Coran, you two will stay behind. Protect the Castle if need be. I know the castle has shields, but I don't want to take a chance. Hunk has the strongest defense so you will stay and help Coran."

Hunk shot two thumbs up.

"Sounds like a plan." Coran was twisting his mustache between his thumb and index ginger.

"Alright, let's suit up, get to your lions! As soon as we arrive, we'll head out!"

* * *

When they did arrive at the planet, the Galra ships were already there. There was a small fleet of ships hovering just above the planet. Too many to be considered and easy victory, but few enough to not be considered too difficult.

Shiro's voice came through the coms in their lions. "Alright. Pidge, Lance, you two head out first. Find out if any ships have entered the planed; find the rebel bases. Pidge, stay cloaked and Lance, try and stay out of sight from the Galra. Do _not_ engage unless fired upon first."

"Come on!" Lance spoke, amused. "Who do you think we are? Keith?"

At that the team went quiet. Lance realized what he said and mumbled an apology. After that, Red and Green set off towards the planet. Green disappeared almost instantly and Red took off in the opposite direction of the fleet as to not be seen. For the rest of them, it was more of a waiting game until they heard back from the other two or until the Galra decided to make their move.

* * *

Pidge soared down to the planet, the time remaining for her cloaking displayed across her screen. She flew above the closest city. The streets were filled with aliens, blissfully unaware of the impending threat just out of sight. She kept flying, to the outskirts of the city, checking the perimeter. She continued this until her time ran out, checking city after city and finding no sign that any Galra had landed. She made it back to the Castle and the others just before her timer hit zero. She reappeared right in front of Black.

"Nothing," she began, a small hint of confusion to her voice, "there aren't any Galra to be found on the planet."

Lance returned just then as well. "The rebel bases are all aware of the Galra fleet hovering above them. They picked them up on their scanners less than a varga before we arrived. They have all agreed not to make the first move. They are waiting to see why they are here."

"Why would they plan an attack on the planet then not do anything." Allura spoke up. "What's their reason for coming here?"

 _"_ _That reason is you."_

Everyone jumped at the new, yet familiar, voice that rang through their coms. Pidge's blood ran cold as she realized that the voice hadn't come through her coms but from right behind her. She spun her head around so fast she'd have to check for whiplash. What she saw made her jump to her feet. A Galra soldier, short in stature but high in rank, stood at the back of her cockpit. His claws were glowing an eerie purple, electricity crackling around his hand and aimed right at her.

"Keith-" she breathed out.

Her quiet call seemed to get to him. The sparks disappeared and he seemed to hesitate for a moment. The soldier looked confused for only a second before moving his hand just slightly. Pidge barely had time to jump out of the way before a bold of purple lightning was shot at Green's control panel. All of the paladins heard Green let out a loud, painful roar before powering down, lifeless. Pidge heard her helmet coms fizzle out as well. She had no communication now.

When Pidge looked back up at the soldier, he was gone.

Lance and the others were all calling out to her, even though Green had no power at the moment.

"Guys, who was that?! How'd he get inside Green?!" Lance was almost panicking. None of them had any way of knowing if Pidge was okay.

"You may want to worry about yourself."

Lance whipped around and immediately jumped to his feet. "Keith!"

"That's not my name!" the soldier almost growled. "My name is Yorak! Commander Yorak!"

Lance knew the other three paladins were calling to him over the coms, they had heard him call Keith's name, but their voices sounded muffled. His mind was blank and he couldn't think. He was forced from his thoughts, however, when lightning was shot at Blue's control panel. The power forced the blue paladin off his feet and Yorak was gone.

Hunk: "Lance! What happened?!"

Shiro: "Was that Keith?!"

Allura: "Blue is out of commission! We are down to three lions!"

Hunk was already out of his pilot seat when Commander Yorak appeared. He came out of nowhere in a cloud of black smoke. _Teleportation_ , Hunk thought, _one of the Druids' powers._ He immediately rushed the commander to try and knock him down before he did to Yellow what he did to the other lions. He ended up just hitting the wall of his cockpit through another cloud of smoke as Yorak appeared again behind him. He sent a jolt through the yellow lion before disappearing again.

"Traitor." Allura growled out as the same thing happened to Blue.

"Keith, please. You're my brother." If he'd blinked, Shiro might've missed it, but there was a slight hesitation in the soldier's movement. He took advantage of that and rushed him. He collided with the soldier and they both fell to the floor. However, Shiro found himself on the floor alone not a second later. He spun his head around to find Yorak's hand on Black's controls. Electricity crackled through Black as the commander disappeared.

The paladins remain in their lions, all unharmed and all reeling from shock, unsure what to think or do.

* * *

 **Zarkon's Throne Room**

"You had no reason for the fleet of ships you took, none of them were even used. None of the soldiers or ships you brought ever even landed on the planet. You hesitated when attacking the paladins and failed to retrieve the black lion." Zarkon listed all the things he deemed as mistakes during the mission. One of his newest and youngest commanders kneeling before him, listening to his every word.

"My apologies, Emperor Zarkon." Yorak finally stood up, facing the emperor. "I took the small fleet as back up in case anything went wrong. While Voltron's moves were easily predicted, there are times when they defy our predictions. As for not attacking the planet… Planet Reiphod has already been recovered and taken under control of the Rebel forces. Them, on top of Voltron and their castle, wasn't worth the risk of attacking them. I do regretfully admit I wasn't able to retrieve the black lion but all lions will be out of commission for a good time."

Zarkon seemed to consider this for a moment. "You have failed to explain your hesitation on attacking the paladins." When Yorak stayed quiet at that, Zarkon continued. "I see." He looked to the guards standing by. "Take him to the Arena."

Yorak's eyes widened a moment then he seemed to resign himself. This was his punishment. The same punishment he'd suffered for the past seven months, fighting for his life in the gladiator arena.

* * *

 **There you have it! Chapter 1 down! It wasn't quite the ending I wanted but it is the point where I wanted to end it. :/ Oh well.** **¯\\_(** **ツ** **)_/¯** **I'll say this now, updates will be a bit slow, but they will come eventually! Please review/comment, tell me what you think of this first chapter. I have sooooo much planned for this story and would love to hear your feedback as readers! Until next chapter,**

 **NyteXade**


	2. The Newcomer

**Oooooooo M G. Guys I promise you, I NEVER meant to take this long to update. I have a new full time career as a teacher and it has been kicking my butt! I promise I have not forgotten about any of my stories and have every intention of completing them. I love my stories and my readers too much to leave y'all hanging. ^.^ I really appreciate those who are still following this story and everyone who reviewed the first chapter. I love hearing what y'all think. Anywho, I won't keep you any longer. Here is Chapter 2!**

* * *

 **Chaper 2: The Newcomer**

* * *

 ***7 months previous***

A familiar planet came into sight as the castle ship exited out of the wormhole. The paladins all looked to be in shock.

Lance looked ready for murder. "Arus?! You brought us all the way to Arus?" Pidge and Hunk had to physically hold Lance back from attacking the princess. "You brought us halfway across the Galaxy!"

Shiro approaches with an air of hostility. "Allura, you can't just do this. You can't abandon Keith no matter what you think of him!"

"I am not discussing this again! You saw what happened. He went with her willingly." She punctuated each word of that last sentence. "I _will not_ repeat myself again."

Before anyone can retaliate, the castle suddenly begins shaking. An ear splitting roar vibrated the air around them, filling them with a feeling of both fear and anger. The paladins and Alteans all covered their ears.

"That's the red lion!" Coran yelled over the noise.

The roar stopped but another came shortly after. Everyone rushed off to the Lions' main hangar. It shocked everyone to find Red in a fighting stance, staring down the paladins and Alteans. The roaring stopped, but she continues to growl threateningly.

"Why is she acting like this?" Pidge gestured to Red's obvious hostility towards them. "This can't just be because of Keith going missing, she's acting like she is blaming us."

"Maybe she's mad at us for leaving him behind," Hunk suggested, with a subtle, angry hint at Allura.

Without a word, Lance began to approach. There was a warning from Shiro, but Lance paid no mind. He began speaking to Red, calmly and quietly, the others almost didn't hear him.

"I know why you are so upset. I'm feeling the same way. You are blaming us for leaving him behind instead of trying to search for him." He looks down to the ground for a moment, before looking back up to Red, who seems to have calmed a bit. "I'm sorry we left him, but I promise you it wasn't by choice." He shot an angry glance to Allura at that before speaking the next part a little louder. "You still trust him, don't you? We all do. Well… us paladins at least, and I promise you we will bring him home." At this point Red was in a lying position and Lance had his hand resting on her muzzle. "But… we're going to need your help to bring him back. Which means, you are going to have to let someone else pilot you."

At that, Red immediately opens her maw to let him in. Before Lance could react however, Allura decides to interrupt. "You can't pilot the red lion. What about blue? We are  
still one paladin short." Her voice was laced with spite and an almost desperate tone.

As much as he hated to admit it, Lance knew Allura was right. By the looks on everyone else's faces, they thought the same thing. He turned to look at Blue, who gave him a soft whine in his mind. _Allura is the only other one of us who can pilot_. Lace reached out to Blue telepathically. He knew it was true. Someone has to stay with the castle and Coran is the best one to do that. Blue gave a defiant growl at that. Lance was sympathetic as he turned to the others to relay his thoughts. "It's gonna have to be Allura." He showed no effort to hide his distaste. "She's the only one of us left that can pilot. Coran has to stay with the castle.

The others reluctantly showed their agreement. However, as Allura began to approach, Blue showed her own reluctance with a vicious growl. She paused and backed up, shooting a glare at Lance. "And exactly how am i supposed to pilot a lion who refuses to let me in?" She crossed her arms in a huff. She watches Lance turn to Blue. The two must have had some kind of silent exchange, because Blue finally allows accepts Allura. She can feel the reluctance coming from the leg of Voltron.

"Well…" Shiro finally cut through the tense silence. "It seems we have five Paladins again-"

"Temporary paladins," Lance interrupted.

Shiro coughed a bit. "Right, 'temporary' paladins. I think we all need to have a team meeting and figure out our next move."

Everyone nodded.

* * *

His arm was starting to bruise, and he really wasn't sure where he was being taken. After being taken from the Paladin's castle, Keith (at least that's what he was told his name was) was now being dragged through a Galra ship by the druid who came for him. Although, he wasn't sure if he could consider himself 'taken' from the castle; he left with her  
willingly. Her dragging, however, was beginning to leave marks on his arm. Unfamiliar yet similar faces stared at him as they passed, whispering to one another and pointing.

Finally, the druid stopped in front of an empty room. It looked like a simple bedchamber with a small bed and table beside it, a desk and chair, a dresser, a floor length mirror, and a door to perhaps a restroom. Keith was roughly shoved into the room before the door was shut and locked. He picked himself up off the floor and sat at the edge of the bed. He wasn't sure what was going to happen or what they wanted him for. He wasn't even sure if this was where he should be. Those others… the paladins?... they seemed to want him there. Their leader tried to talk with him, even took off his cuffs as a sign of trust, but then the druid came. Haggar? He thinks that's what they called her. She seemed to want him. She looked more like him than the paladins did, and so do the others on this ship. Maybe this _is_ where he should be? He just wasn't sure what to think. Logic told him he should be here, where the others actually looked like him. However, another feeling… somewhere deep within him… told him this wasn't right.

Sighing, and deciding to just go with logic for now, he stood up and walked to the long mirror hanging next to the dresser. He looked himself up and down, taking in his appearance that seemed so alien yet also somehow… not. The tips of his large furry ears reached just above his head. He could move them independently from one another, picking up every sound in the room. Curiously, however, he couldn't hear anything beyond these four walls; they must have soundproofed the room. His eyes were a solid yellow, almost glowing. He reached up one hand to his face, brushing his fingers across his cheek. He paused halfway through the gesture noticing he didn't have fingers; he had claws. Why did he think he was supposed to have fingers? His momentary confusion caused his tail to whip around in front of him, flicking back and forth. He shoved his tail aside and dropped onto his bed. Being locked in this room didn't leave much else to do but wait.

* * *

Zarkon's throne room was large and vastly empty save for two posted soldiers and Emperor Zarkon himself. The only sound heard through the room were footsteps approaching the emperor. Haggar was approaching hastily with news she hoped would please her emperor. She stopped at the foot of the stairs leading to his throne and kneeled.

"Emperor Zarkon," she began with a raspy voice, "I have brought the half breed paladin." She left it with that simple statement, awaiting the emperor's response.

Zarkon's heavy breathing was the only thing heard for a moment. "He better be as good as you say he is for you to use up my on this… 'experiment' of yours."

"His quintessence is strong, my emperor. After being able to examine him and force his transformation to complete, I know he will make a strong soldier."

Zarkon's huff could have easily been mistaken as a growl. "I will be the judge of that. Bring the half breed to me." Haggar bowed and took her leave.

* * *

Keith's ears perk forward, jolting him out of his daze, when he hears the door to his bedchamber slide open with a hiss. He sat up on his bed- Huh? When had he laid down? -to find the witch back. With no warning, she gripped his arm and dragged him unceremoniously from his bed and out the door. There was more staring and whispering from the others on board as they passed and made their way through the ship. Where they were going, he had no idea.

After a few moments more of being dragged, the two finally came to a large set of double doors. With a heave, Haggar pushed them open and proceeded down the vast room. A large throne sat at the end of the room with an even larger Galra sitting atop the throne.

Haggar stopped at the foot of the throne and thrust Keith forward to his knees. "I have brought him, Emperor Zarkon," he heard the witch say from behind him. Emperor? Was this Galra the leader? He looked up to see the emperor standing from his throne. His steps seemed to almost echo through the room as he approached.

"Stand," Zarkon growled and Keith did as he was told. Zarkon was nearly twice his height. Keith noticed he was very short compared to most Galra onboard. The emperor circled him, slowly and deliberately. Inspecting every inch of him. He felt the hulking man grab his tail and shove it aside as though it offended him. Keith held in a flinch at the harsh pain.

"He still has a tail," Zarkon growled with disgust, "and he is too old for it to be amputated now; it will be seen as a sign of weakness by the other soldiers." He circled around to the front of Keith, staring down his nose at him. "His height is nothing more than that of a child's and he is far too skinny." He turned and dropped back into his throne, not even bothering to look at Haggar when he addressed her. "You have brought me nothing more than a child." He waved her off as though he wanted nothing more to do with Keith.

"Please, my lord. He as strength beyond his weak appearance. You mus-"

" **I _must_ do nothing!**" Zarkon bellowed. "You have forgotten your place, witch!"

Haggar bowed deeply. "My apologies, my lord." She seemed to speak through gritted teeth. Zarkon huffed and seemed to think for a moment. "I will see how strong he really is," he said at length. "He will be tested in the Gladiator Arena."

Keith's ears flicked in confusion, wondering what that could possibly mean for him. Haggar, however, showed a very toothy grin. "Yes, my lord."

* * *

 **I know this isn't near as long as the first chapter, but I really wanted to give y'all a second chapter. Like I've said before, I have a lot of plans for this story! And I figured a slightly shorter chapter was preferred over no chapter at all. Please tell me what you think! I love reading reviews, even if it is friendly constructive criticism.**

 **Also, A/N, for the purposes of this story, Haggar is a full blooded Galra, not Altean. She is still a druid. The druids are just considered a rare but powerful ranking among the Galra and druid powers have to be inherited; they cannot just be learned.**

 **Well, I hope you have enjoyed the new chapter. I look forward to reading your reactions! Until next chapter,**

 **NyteXade**


	3. The Arena

**Okaaaaay… So I know I said I was gonna update soon. I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO sorry 'bout that. My laptop ended up crashing, so I had nothing to type on and needed to recover all my files. I did get all my files back and now I HAVE A BRAND NEW LAPTOP TO BE TYPING ON! I love it so much seeing as I had my last one for almost seven years :/ Anyway, here's the new chapter!**

* * *

 **Chaper 3: The Arena**

* * *

"Now that we have five pilots again, we can begin our search for Keith. We _will_ find him and bring him home."

"And how exactly are we supposed to do that, Shiro? We don't even know where to start. They could be anywhere."

"I hate to say it, guys, but Allura is right. We don't have any leads or anything to go by."

"That's not… _entirely_ … true, Hunk."

Everyone at the table turned to the small green paladin. They had all moved to the one of the Castle's many meeting rooms. The tone in Pidge's voice had caught their attention.

"Pidge, explain?" Lance asked simply.

"Well… I've been working on this new program for the castle. It's supposed to be able to pick up on a wormhole's signature. See, when a ship wormholes, what's really happening is space is being bent, so to speak, to create a short distance between two locations that would otherwise be lightyears apart. When that happens, a sort of 'residue' is left behind from that portal. If my program works, it can pick up on that residue and hopefully trace it. It should get us close at least."

There was a long pause while the others just gaped at her.

Shiro was the first to bring their attention back to the matter at hand. "There we go, that gives us a start. We need to get back where we were and see if that signature is still there." He looked at Allura, as she is the only one who can wormhole them back.

Allura remained stubbornly silent while Coran seemed more like he wanted to agree.

Shiro sighed, irritatedly. "Okay, that's it. Allura," he began harshly, "Red is allowing Lance to pilot her because he believes, just as much as the _rest_ of us do, that Keith is still one of us. Red knows this, agrees with this, and is allowing Lance to be her pilot until he returns." He kept his gaze strong, eyes on the Princess. "Blue _refused_ you," he continued with emphasis. His voice was steadily beginning to rise. "Do you not realize why? Lance had to convince his lion to let you in as a temporary pilot. If he hadn't, we'd still be one pilot short. Do you get it now? Blue believes just as much as Red does that Keith is still a Paladin of Voltron. The Lions believe! Shouldn't that be enough for you?!"

Silence filled the room. Whether it was from the others waiting for an answer or just stunned at Shiro's outburst, he wasn't sure.

Allura finally spoke up. "Fine. I will help with finding that galra-

"Keith." Hunk, surprisingly, interrupted, "His name is Keith."

"That remains to be seen," Allura mutters under her breath, though everyone hears. "I will help with finding… _him._ But if things go wrong, I am getting us out of there.

"With all due respect, _Princess._ When we are out there, you are a Voltron Paladin, not a princess. That means we don't take orders from you." Shiro's gaze pierced through her, unyielding.

"Shiro is our leader, that means we take orders from him," Lance added.

Allura looked like she wanted to protest but remained silent under the glares she was receiving from each of the paladins. Coran _almost_ looked proud, as though he approved of the paladins' solution.

* * *

When they arrived back to the same place they were attacked. Pidge immediately got to work searching for the wormhole signature.

"We may be too late. These signatures fade with time and we wasted a lot." She cast a quick glare to Allura. "Hunk, do a scan of this region, we don't want to be caught blindsided if someone decides to attack while we are searching."

Hunk threw up a quick salute from his chair and began typing away on his console.

Silence fills the ship. The only sounds are the clicking of both Hunk and Pidge typing away on their consoles. Hunk was the first to finally speak.

"Um… Yea, we have a problem." Everyone looks up at him. "There is a ship in the vicinity. A small one, but the scanners aren't picking up any signs of li-"

Before he even finished, the castle alarms started blaring. "There's an intruder! Paladins, split up!" Allura shouted. Shiro, Pidge, Hunk, and Lance all scattered, looking for the intruder.

* * *

Lance was the first to find the intruder and trained his blaster on him. "I've got him Shiro. He's on level 5!"

 _"Hold him there! We're on our way!"_

The intruder turned towards him. "Don't move and I won't shoot." Of course, that did a whole hell of a lot as the intruder promptly charged. Lance began shooting, rolling his eyes at Coran's ridiculous commentary.

 _"Look out, he's charging like a Sixurian Chanlik."_

"Coran we really don't need this right now!"

 _"Well someone's a party nerlad."_

"A what?!" Lance shook his head. "Neverming. Pidge! He's coming your way!"

* * *

"Got it!" Pidge yelled into her coms. Just as she did, the intruder rolled into view and immediately ran towards her. When he made to attack, Pidge dodged and ended up behind him, but he kept running. She shot her bayard at him. The intruder flipped and caught her hook in his hand.

"I've got him!"

The intruder kept his grip on her weapon, turned and ran, dragging the small paladin with him.

"Ooooohh! Nevermind!" She called as she was pulled along.

 _"Oh, he's dragging Number 5 away! You did your best Number 5!"_

"Hey!"

* * *

Hunk was heading to level 5 when he saw the intruder up ahead. "Oh! I see him!" He pulled out his bayard and started shooting, realizing too late that he was soon shooting at Pidge.

"Hunk!"

"Sorry!" Hunk ran after them, Lance following not long after.

 _"Watch out, Number 2 is shooting at his own!"_

"Coran!"

* * *

When Shiro caught up, arm charged and ready for attack, the intruder was still dragging Pidge along with Hunk and Lance following.

"Pidge!" he called through the coms.

 _"Got it!"_

He watched her suddenly dig her heels into the ground, slowing the intruder just long enough for Shiro to catch up. As soon as he attacked, the intruder finally had to drop Pidge's weapon to pull a sword and block Shiro's attack.

That's when Shiro noticed it… The intruder's sword… it has the same symbol as Keith's knife. He doesn't think any of the other paladins have seen his knife without the cover, but he has. He needs to know why this is the same.

While he was distracted, the intruder had pushed his arm away and threw him into a wall. After that, Pidge had attacked. The intruder hooked her arm, spun her around, and tossed her into Hunk and Lance who had just arrived. As soon as he turned around, Shiro thrust his charged arm forward, stopping just inches from the alien's neck, who's sword was also just inches form Shiro's head. They were at a stalemate. The other paladins were frozen, watching the scene in front of them, when the intruder decided to pull away and remove his mask, revealing the face of a Galra.

Shiro pulled back too, powering down his arm. "Who are you? What is that symbol on your sword?"

The Galra sheathed his sword. "My name is Ulaz. I am the one who freed you when you were captured by the Galra empire. As for the symbol-"

"Back away from him!" Allura just arrived, charging towards them.

Shiro's eyes widened. She had Keith's knife and she was ready to attack. Just as she raised the weapon, Shiro stepped in front of Ulaz. "Allura wait!" It was too late, however, as she brought the knife down and across Shiro's chest.

* * *

An old, dull sword was thrust into his arms just before he was shoved into a large open arena. The lights were blinding, preventing him from seeing past the arena and seeing the audience that was screaming around him. He could hear jeers, boos, and a few 'kill him!'s mixed in. He looked down at his sword and up at the arena. It was empty, but he noticed a large door at the other end.

Even as he tried to ignore the invisible audience, he could still pick out some of their taunts.

"He's just a kit!"

"He's no larger than a child!"

"He still has a tail! He won't last!"

His tail flicked in front of him as though offended. Before he could really think much of it, the large door at the other end began opening. A large red alien with four arms stepped out into the arena. He was easily three time the galra kit's height and decked in full-body armor wielding a very large mace and chain. As the opponent neared the center of the arena, he roared, swinging around his weapon before slamming it into the ground a few meters away from the kit. This really got the crowd excited. They were cheering and screaming; it was clear who the obvious crowd favorite was.

"Today's match is sure to be an exciting one!" A loud, rough voice boomed through the arena. "We have our returning champion, the beast of khorosnia: Te'ramat!" The announcer had to wait for the crowd to settle a bit before continuing. "And his opponent, a former Paladin of Voltron, a Terran-Galran Hybrid (there were some jeers at that): Yorak!"

 _A former what? Who is Yorak? Is that my name? What's a Terran?_ Yorak had so many questions running through his head, he failed to notice the khorosnian running towards him, mace swinging. The large alien landed a solid hit to Yorak's torso, one of the spikes on the mace grazing his left side leaving a large gash. Yorak was thrown into the wall of the arena and it took all his effort to get himself back up.

Suddenly a shiver ran down his back and to the tip of his tail. His tail thrashed once, and his fur was standing on end. _What was that?_

He didn't have time to think however as another attack was aimed at him. He jumped just in time to avoid being hit; the mace embedded itself into the wall of the arena, stuck. Yorak jumped higher that he expected but landed on Te'ramat's back, kicking off. While he was still trying to pull his weapon free, Yorak jumped towards the alien's back, swung his sword while flipping, and slashed off one of his four arms.

(Somewhere towards the back of his mind, he realized he was only able to pull off that maneuver due to the extra balance and control his tail allowed)

The alien screamed but was able to yank free his weapon with a short burst of adrenaline. He turned and swung fist first towards Yorak, knocking him back several meters. Yorak came to a rolling stop. His strength was beginning to leave him. He wasn't sure he could survive this much longer.

Another shiver ran down his back. This time he could feel something charged in the air. He wasn't sure what it could be.

He got to his feet and charged towards the alien again. His speed and agility were unmatched by the large, very ungraceful khorosnian. Yorak ducked beneath another swing of the mace, slashed at one of his legs, rolled to the side and jumped behind the alien. Te'ramat dropped to his knees screaming while Yorak took another of his arms. He was left with only his lower arms on either side.

Suddenly, the injured opponent dropped his weapon, stood and turned to Yorak. He grabbed him with his two remaining hands and started squeezing.

 _Shit! Now he's just pissed!_ Yorak couldn't breath, he could feel his bones getting crushed and was sure he had a few broken ribs. Just before he was about to lose consciousness, he felt that shiver again, the charge in the air. It was stronger this time. He focused on that, he felt his mind connect to it somehow, making it stronger.

 _Focus._

 _Focus!_

 _FOCUS!_

Then, all at once, the entire arena exploded with streaks of purple lightning. The alien was screaming, electricity flowing through his entire body. He dropped Yorak and fell to the ground, body convulsing with electricity. Yorak landed on unsteady legs. His mind felt fogged over; his eyelids were drooping. He wasn't sure for how much longer _he_ could keep conscious. Faintly, he heard the announcer declare him the winner, cheers erupting from the audience, before darkness finally consumed him.

* * *

 **So a lot of the paladins' part of the chapter comes from season 2 episode 3. It's just slightly rewritten to fit my storyline. There will be more from that episode next chapter too. Also, Keith (Yorak) still has some more human expressions in him, he just doesn't realize that it is human. Like when he curses 'shit!' saying the alien is 'pissed'. Those kind of phrases are still in his consciousness somewhere and he says them without realizing that he isn't meant to know them. Does that make sense?**

 **Anyway, please review/comment. I love reading them! Until next chapter,**

 **NyteXade**


	4. Training Begins

**So again, there is a lot in this chapter form season 2 episode 3. Rewatching the episode isn't necessary; I summarize most of what happens. So, I apologize if it is a bit repetitive and not very new, but I needed these events in my story. So…** **¯\\_(** **ツ** **)_/¯ There will be more events from the series that I need in here but most of it will just be mentioned and not as in detail as this chapter was. So don't be too confused if I suddenly mention something that didn't happen in my story. I will most likely be something form the conon series.**

* * *

 **Chapter 4: Training Begins**

* * *

"I really don't think we needed to lock him up." Pidge found a place on the sofa as the others filed in behind her.

"He is a quiznaking Galra! He will not be allowed to just roam my ship!" Allura was standing at the front, arms crossed over her chest.

"Well, yeah, except you were the only one who caused an injury." Hunk seemed almost hesitant to bring that up.

"T-that… That was not on purpose!" Allura's voice rose in pitch just a bit. She cleared her throat before continuing. "Shiro is the one who decided to put himself in front of a Galra soldier."

Lance finally spoke, a bit of venom seeping into his words. "You know, _princess_ , Shiro is not one to do things like that without reason. If he was protecting him, there was a reason for it."

"Apologies, but I believe Number 3 has a point. But for now, probably the best thing to do is wait for Shiro to complete his round in the healing pod and speak with him on the matter." Coran, ever the diplomat, was able to settle the argument peacefully.

* * *

Shiro finally fell out of the healing pod, catching himself before falling flat on his face. He looked around noticing no one was there. He had to tell everyone about the memories that came back during his time in the pod. He headed out of the room and found everyone quickly enough. They were all gathered in the common area on the sofa. He noted Keith's knife on the table. They all noticed him almost immediately.

"Shiro!" Pidge was the first to run up to him, giving him a quick hug before rejoining the others. After a few more greetings, he joined them as well. He noticed Allura avoiding eye contact.

"Shiro? Are you alright?" Lance had noticed him looking a bit uneasy.

"Well…" Shiro wasn't sure how to start. "I think some of my memories came back while I was in the pod." There were a few noises of surprise before he continued. "It was my memories of how I escaped. Ulaz, he knocked out several guards in order to get me out. He created an explosion as a distraction and got me to a pod. He also mentioned something about coordinates in my arm?"

"Coordinates? Where could these coordinates be leading? What if it's a trap? What if they're just trying to lure you away from Voltron?!" Hunk began, but Shiro stopped him before he could think any further on that subject.

"I don't believe he has any ill intent. What would be the point in freeing me? I need to speak with him. Where is he?"

"In the holding cell." Coran led the way out of the room.

Shiro made sure to grab Keith's knife as they left.

* * *

Ulaz looked up when he heard the door open. "So, have you decided what to do with me yet?" Just a bit of sarcasm seemed to leak into his question.

"I have a few questions for you." Shiro removed the covering on Keith's knife.

This got a reaction form Ulaz. "Where did you get that?"

"It belongs to our Red Paladin who is currently," Shiro coughed a bit, "unavailable."

Ulaz hummed. "That weapon is a ceremonial blade only obtained by members of our order."

"That's right," Shiro interrupted, a bit distractedly, "you said there were others?"

"The Blade of Marmora. We are the Galra who do not agree with the decisions of the empire."

"Where are they? Is that why you left coordinates?" Shiro held up his Galra arm for emphasis.

"Those are the coordinates to my base. I have more information there I could give you on The Blade."

Allura had had enough. "No! We are not following some unknown coordinates to an unknown location!" She threw an arm towards the prisoner. "He is Galra, we cannot trust anything he says!"

"Trust me, or do not. It is your choice. I am not going to try and convince you of my intentions." Ulaz almost sounded irritated at this point.

Allura looked to Shiro, about to protest, when she noticed his face, determined and stubborn.

"We _will_ follow the coordinates. The Blade could possibly help us to locate Keith. If there are repercussions, we will deal with them when they come."

* * *

They follow the coordinates to the Thaldycon system and find themselves surrounded by some kind of crystal.

"Those are xanthorian chunks! Get too close to one of those and the whole place will be blown to bits!" Coran was making wild gestures with his hands as he spoke.

Looking around, there was no kind of base in sight. "So where is this 'base' of yours?" Allura crossed her arms.

"It is hidden, in a pocked universe. Keep following the coordinates. Fly straight ahead and you will find it."

Allura huffed. "If you really think we would destroy our ship just because you told us to…"

Shiro interrupted Allura before she finished. "Do it Coran." He spoke with such finality; Coran wouldn't dare to do otherwise.

Slowly, Coran began moving the ship forward. "Impact with nearby xanthorian chunk in 4…

3…

2…"

Suddenly, the space around them seemed to warp before a small base appeared in front of them.

"This is the communications base for the Thaldycon system. If you will allow, I need to send a message to the Marmora leadership and inform them I have made contact with Voltron."

* * *

Shiro, Pidge, and Hunk ended up taking the green lion out to the base. Pidge and Hunk seemed overly interested in finding out how the space pocket was made. Lance insisted on staying to 'keep an eye on the princess'. He had no problems showing his obvious distrust of the princess. Ulaz explained that the technology for the base's cloaking was created by a genius scientist named Slav that Zarkon is working to get his hands on. He explained that there are Galra, Blade members, spread throughout the Galra bases, working to take down the empire. They realized what this means for Voltron. Having inside information of the Galra's movements and locations would make easy and efficient to plan coordinated attacks on the empire. Pidge had asked if they could find her family with the information they have access to. Ulaz never saw the other Earth prisoners but sent some records to the Castle of Lions that he thought could help.

When the alarms began blaring, they proceeded to fight a robeast sent by Zarkon. Shiro was given the location of the Blade leadership base but needs to figure out how Zarkon is tracking them first.

In the end, Ulaz flew his ship into the robeast to give Voltron a chance to escape.

* * *

The longer he watched the match go on, the more intrigued he became. Zarkon had very low expectations going into this match. That child had no chance of surviving a warrior from khorosnia. That is, until he watched one of the beast's massive arms drop to the ground with a thud, yellow blood spilling out of the open wound. He hummed. _This could be interesting._ The kit's movements were certainly deserving of his attention. None of his soldiers moved like that. _Could it be the help of the half-breed's tail?_ Another of Te'ramat's arms hit the ground. However, when the small galra was grabbed, he was sure that would be the end of him. No one that small could survive a death grip from a khorosnian. Then, what really grabbed his attention, the entire arena exploded with electricity.

"A druid." He seemed to speak to no one in particular, but it was Haggar who answered.

"My lord, I apologize, I was not aware he was of druid descent. Shall I-"

Zarkon held his hand up to stop her. "Train him. I would like to see how his abilities develop." Without waiting for an answer, he stood and left just as that kit was being announced as the winner.

* * *

Yorak blinked slowly, trying to focus on his surroundings. _Where am I?_ He wasn't entirely sure what happened to him. All he knows is that he has a splitting headache and his ears won't stop ringing. He wasn't sure how he lost consciousness or how he ended up… back in his bedchambers? He sat up on his bed only to fall back down with a groan. Lifting his shirt… huh… that's different. He wasn't in a soldier's uniform anymore. Now he was in a simple purple tunic and pants. He looked down to find majority of his torso has been bandaged. Slowly, things – flashes – started coming back to him. A mace flying at him ripping open his side. Hitting a wall so hard it made his head spin. Being squeezed until he heard cracking. _His fight in the arena._

He stood up slowly, moving to look in his mirror. His mind blanked for a second at his own appearance. Why had he been expecting to see something different? The way he looked now just seemed… wrong somehow. He wasn't sure why.

He lifted his shirt again, staring at his covered wound. Then, slowly, his eyes moved to the little bit of exposed skin peeking from beneath the bandages. He noted how soft purple fur seemed to stick out in all directions around the wrappings. Did he always have fur like this? He can't seem to remember a time when he didn't have fur but…

His eyes then trailed up to his face, dropping his tunic back down. Why he expected his eyes to be a different color than they were, he wasn't sure. They were still the same haunting yellow they were before. When his ears flicked a bit, they caught the attention of his eyes. He noted a small gap in one of his ears. It seemed as though a large piece of skin had gone missing, though he wasn't sure how or when. He ran his fingers through his hair and felt his claws scrape against his scalp, tugging a few of his hairs along the way.

He dropped his arms in frustration. Frustration with what, he still wasn't sure. (he wasn't sure about a lot of things lately) His tail seemed to thrash about, clearly expressing his stress and confusion. That only served to muddle his thoughts even more. He could have sworn he didn't have that extra appendage, but at the same time, he's pretty sure he's had it since birth. Whey does he have all these contradicting thoughts. He feels one way but knows another? What happened to him? Was it the paladins he was taken from? Did they alter his mind in some way?

Somewhere deep in the back of his mind, however, suggested it may have been the galra witch that altered his memories.

He wasn't able to pursue that thought any further as the door to his chambers opened with a hiss, and Haggar walked in without any kind of warning or permission. "You're awake. Good. You will start your training today."

"T-training?" He winced just a bit in pain. "What kind of training?"

"Druid training. It seems you are born of druid blood and your powers have only just recently manifested." The witch scoffed as though calling him pathetic. "Normally, druids are trained from a very early age. However, due to lack of training, and probably even knowledge of your abilities, your powers came out on pure instinct. They were too much for your body to handle causing you to lose consciousness." Without giving him any time to respond, she tossed a set of clothes at him. "Come," she snarled, "your training begins immediately."

* * *

 **I'm really not sure how well I wrote Zarkon's pov. He is definitely not the easiest character to write. :) (Haggar isn't much easier to write either…)**

 **On another note: I know it's been a while since I've posted. My mental health has taken a dramatic decline due to stressors with my job and other things. It's been tough, but I am working on it. I want to thank all my readers who are still sticking with me through this. I know my posts are slow but I really appreciate all of you and your amazing patience. I hope you continue to stay with me through my stories! I am determined to make it to the end of this!**

 **Until next chapter,**

 **NyteXade**


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